Collator



A DAGER A ril 17, 1945.

COLLATOR Filed Aug. 17, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l (Incl-neg- A. DAGER COLLATOR April 17, 1945.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 17, 1945 I Q. Bnventor; I A AGE/Q7 0 402 Patented Apr. 17, 1945 UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE f 1.31am v Albert Dager, Los Angeles, (hilt, auignor of onehalf to Shaheen, Los Angelea, Calif.

. Application August 11,1943, Serial m. mp2s I towns. (Cl. 271-42 This invention constitutes an improvement upon my invention for collators, Patent No. 2,308,804, issued January 19, 1943. Particularly the present invention has to do with certain imlarge collators. Collato'rsare very expensive and cost several thousands of dollars, whereas the device of my invention, and particularly the patented structure, is capable of being built and sold for a few hundred dollars. I

Objects of the invention include a structure which is simple, useful and generally superiorto.

the devices now known to the inventor. 1

With the above mentioned objects in view, the invention consists in the novel and useful proviable mechanism not shown.

different colors, such as white, red, green, blue,

yellow, withcar'bon paper placed therebetween for makingmultiplicatesi It is essential that sheets from each bin should, be properly fed to the mechanism 5 and 0, this mechanism following my invention illustrated and described in my Patent No. 2,308,804. This'mechanism includes pairs of continuous belts 1 and 8, two reaches of each pair of belts being in contact, as shown at 9. The belts are passed aroundpulleys as shown at II and II, and likewise driven by suit- The bin constructions are identical, for which reason the bin at 2 will be described. This bin includes a platform l2 which constitutesa sub stantially rectangular piece provided on its front edge with a narrowv center extension l2. The

platform is adapted to hold the stock and the stock is held in. proper position on the platform through the medium of stock guides II. and l4.

These stock guides are angled so as to guide tre stock at the sides and front edges thereof.

As stock varies in width, the guides it and I4 I are made adjustable, being carried upon an opsion; formation, construction, association and relative arrangement of parts, members and features allas shown in a certain embodiment in the accompanying drawings, described generally and more particularly pointed out in the claims. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved bin mechanism; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of a pair of bins for holding sheets to be collated, together with the improved mechanism for actuating the bins;

Fig.3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig.

1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating'the operation of certain mechanism of the invention. 7

Referring now to the drawings. 1 provide two or more bins designated generally as l and 2,

positely pitched screw shaft ls, which is iourinaled between members I! and ll of a framing. The shaft H5 carries a crank it, whereby upon turning the crank, the stock guides are caused to approach the front extension l2 or to separate therefrom. e e i v l The members i1 and II of the framing include in addition thereto uprights l9, 2|, 2!, 22, 22 and 24, the side members being suitably secured to said uprights. The uprights 20 and 23 are of angled formation, with one leg of each member received within a groove or way in members 25 and 25, the said last named members being secured to the sides of the platform l2. This constructlon assures that the platform will at all times move straight upwardly or downwardly without any longitudinal reciprocatory motion,

in that the forward endof the platform will be held within the confines of theangle guides I3 within which are placed stacked sheets as shown at 3 and 4, with single s eets adapted to be removed simultaneously. from each bin and fed between means illustrated 'at 5 and O and finally 'denosited'on a tray or on a table in manifold or collated form, which is'to say the uppermost sheet from stack 4 would overlie a sheet from stack '2.

- Manifolding of sheets is essential for price books.

sales. books. and the like where a plurality of sheets must be used. Usually the-sheets are of and H. The uprights 2i and 24 are angled'in form, one leg of each thereof being secured to a side-. member ,II and it, while the other leg of each member carries bearing blocks, such as illustrated at'2l'and a. Parallel bearing blocks are adapted to accommodate a shaft 29 upon which a plurality of spaced pulleys I! are mounted, as see Flg'.'-1-. This construction is adhered to for the other pulleys II.

The upright frame members I! to 24 inclusive'in turn'are suitably supported on a table or other device, and reference is again made to 'my patent, supra. To, as-

maintained at a selected elevation or height, to the end that the uppermost sheet of paper he at a given height with respect to a suction foot. This suction foot is shown at 35, and is connected with a hose 36, which leads to a pump (not shown). The foot is carried by a rod 31 which moves the suction foot into engagement with the forward end of the top of the stack of sheets, and then elevates the sheet to place it between a pair of the conveyor feed belts, at which time the suction to the foot is broken so that the sheet is released. As the suction foot has a.deflnite up and down and reciprocatory movement, it is es- .sential that the uppermost sheets of the stack be maintained at a substantial level and durin depletion of the stack of sheets. To accomplish this, I provide mechanism of simple construction which has been found in acimal practice to work satisfactorily. This mechanism includes a segmental ratchet is carried by arms II and 4. radiating from a hub 4|. The hub is mounted upon a trunnion 42 of platform elevating means; designated generally as 43. Thisplatform ele- Journaled between the uprights and 23 is a shaft 58; an arm 60 is secured to said shaft, said arm carrying a roller 8|. 'One end or said shaft carries arm 62, and a link type rod 63 is secured to arm 82, and carries at its lowermost end a roller or bearing 84, adapted to have engagement with cam 65. Cams i8 and 65 are mounted on shafts 6i and 61, respectively, which shafts carry sprocket wheels 68 and 89, respectively, there being a continuous chain It! between said sprocket wheels.

The operation, uses and advantages of the invention are as follows:

If we consider movement of a single tray, the cams 56 and 65 are so arranged that when the pawl 53 is in engagement with a tooth of ratchet 3|, roller 6! is out of engagement with the uppermost sheet of the stack of paper 4 during movevating means includes a rod so bent as to provide end trunnion 42 and a trimnion 44. The rod is then bent to provide two aligned and parallel legs joined with the trunnions, as shown at 45 and 45, and a connecting piece 41 between the legs. This connecting piece is provided with an intermediate crank portion The truhnions are passed through suitable openings forming bearings for said trunnions in the sldeframemembers l1 and I8. 'I provide a like elevating means 49' adjacent the forward end, of .the platform, the same reference characters applying to this elevating means as apply to the elevating means at 43; The crank portions 4! of the elevating means 3 and 49 are, interconnected by an adjustable link 50, the said link being journaledto the crank portion 48 of means 49, and provided with edge slots SI for adjustable engagement with ,the crank 48 of the means 43. It is intended that the two elevating means should move in substantial parallelism, although the said elevating means may be arranged at different angularities to tip the stock, through the adjustment permitted by the link. a Rockably secured by means 52 to the uprighti9 is. a pawl 53. This pawl is adapted to have engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 38. The uppermost .end of the pawl has a rod 54 secured thereto. This rod in turn having'other pawl members, depending on the number of platspring 51, secured at one end to the side framan arm ing member I1 and atthe opposite endvto 58, carried by huh 4|.

ment of the suction foot 35 to elevate a sheet of paper and position the sheet between the conveyor belts. I Both cams are being rotated by suitable means which drives one Of the shafts 6G or-i'l, and when the cam 65 has rotated to a p0sition which will elevate the rod 63, shaft 59 is rotated through the medium of arm G2 to cause rotation of arm 60 and bring the roller 6| into engagement with the uppermost sheet of the stack of paper 4. At this time, cam 58 has rotated to a position to permit rod 54 to move downwardly and release pawl 53 from ratchet -tooth engagement, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The coil spring 51 urges rotation of the elevating means 43 by rotating trlm'nion 42. Whatever rotation occurs is immediately communicated bylink 50 to elevating means 49;. Normally, when the platform is loaded with a stack of paper, the elevating means will have their leg portions 45 and 46 at a like angle relative to a horizontal plane, and as the sheets are fed from the top of the stack, this angle between the legs and a horizontal plane will gradually increase until it reaches substantially degrees. Such move ment raises the platform. The cam 55 normally moves the roller ii the same distance, thus assuring that. the uppermost sheet of the stack will always be at a certain height relative to the guides 13 and i4, and quite obviously when the roller Cl is in engagement with the uppermost sheet of the stack of paper, as shown in Fig. 4, the platform is prevented from moving upwardly, save and except for' a selectedelevation, with the result that the spring 51 does not cause a complete movement of the ratchet. Prior to the wheel 5| being released from engagement with the stack of sheets 4, the pawl. engages a tooth of the ratchet, whereupon the wheel BI is released so that the suction foot may engage the uppermost sheet for feeding purposes.

. As previously stated, the other bins are spacedly arranged one above the other, and the platforms of all the bins are actuated in the manner just described. It is also evident that the stack of paper in one bin may not be of the same height as the stack of paper in another bin, because adjustment is permitted automatimovement is stopped, for the reason that the coil I Sp 5 will rotate the ratchet and its shaft 4!,

to in turn rotate both elevating means upwardly to position the platform at the desired height.

It is apparent that both the arms '2 and the pawls 53 will have an arc of movement during reciprocal rotation thereof, which will move the rods 54 and 63, but this lateral movement will have no effect upon the operation of the mechanism, as the cams are so arranged as to compensate for any such movement and provide for a proper sequence of operation.

I claim:

1. In a device as disclosed, a pair of spaced bins for holding stacked paper which is to be manifolded',.-each bin having a platform, and

'means for each platform for elevating the same to maintain the stacked paper at a selected height,

the said means comprising a pair of spaced cranks beneath a platform, means interconnecting the "cranksfor maintaining the same atanangularity relative to its platform, a segmental ratchet secured to one of said cranks, a pawl for engagement with the ratchet, cam means for rocking the pawl to release the same at certain intervals from'the ratchet, and means normally urging the ratchet to rotate in one direction.

2. In a device of the character disclosed, a platform upon which stacked paper may be placed, a pair of spaced levers'engageable with' said platform, rotation of which levers raises or lowers the platform, a segmental ratchet secured to one of said levers, and means normally tending to rotate saidratchet and'said lever to cause elevation of the s atform, a pawl engaging said ratchet to control rotation thereof, a pair of cams,

pawl from the ratchet, the cam brings its associated lever into engagement with the stack of paper, and upon engagement oi. the pawl with the ratchet, the'second lever is released from the stack of paper. I 3. In a device ofthe character disclosed, a framing,- a platform, and means secured to the framing for guiding up and down movement of the platform relative to the framing, swing levers pivoted in the framing and engageable with said platform forraising-and lowering the platform, asegmental ratchetseemed to one of an levers, means for urging one of said levers to rofate and cause elevation of the platform, a pawl engaging the ratchet for restraining rotation'of the ratchet, apair of spaced interconnected cams, one of which controls movement of said pawl, a

swing lever pivoted in the framing for engage-w ment with the platform and adapted to be controlled as to movement by the second cam, the relationship being such that when the second lever is in engagement with the platform, the pawl is out of engagement with the segmental ratchet, and vice versa.-

4. In a device of the character disclosed, a platform upon which stacked paper is placed, swing levers for said platform for raising or lowering the same, a lever for engagement with the top of said stack of paper, means causing rotation of said swing levers to raise the platform, said means comprising a ratchet secured to one of the said swing levers, a pawl for engagement with said ratchet, and cam means for releasing the pawl from ratchet engagement and moving the lever into engagement with the top of the stack of papers and for causing disengagement ofthe lever from the top of the stack of papers when the pawl engages the ratchet, whereby the top of said stack of papers is maintained at a selected elevation.

5. In a device of the character disclosed, a latform, angle members engaging ends of said platform to guide raising and lowering movement thereof, levers for engagement beneath said platform for raising or.lowering the platform, means interconnecting the levers causing like angular movement thereof, said platform adapted to hold a stack of paper, a lever provided with a wheel in engagement with the uppermost-sheet of said stackof paper, a first cam, a linkconnection between said lever and said cain, a second cam, a pawL-and a link connection between said pawl and said second cam, and a segmental ratchet secured to one of the levers for elevating the platform. the relationship between the movement of the links upon turningthe cams being such that when the roller en ages the top sheet of the stack of paper, the pawl is out of engagement with the ratchet, and vice verse, together with spring means for normally urging said levers to elevate the platform.

" Y ALBERT DAGIR. 

